I am writing to set out the arrangements we have made to re-open Priory View from 15th June. Things will seem very different when we first return – you will notice that there will be very limited children per session and this is due to our risk assessments and safety planning. There will also be just three members of staff on duty each day for the time being – Christine, Delphine and Dawn. This is due to personal issues for other staff members which will be resolved as we progress, but we thought we should draw your attention to this as you may like to prepare your child in case their favourite teacher will not be there to welcome them when they first return!! Please be assured that we are well within ratio guidelines – the amount of children attending each session is very limited. The other big change is that we will be separating the returning children into two ‘bubbles’. Obviously very young children will not be able to be socially distant, so by dividing our limited number of returning children into two groups, the amount of interaction they have with others will be much smaller and this will be a much safer way to proceed.

The other huge change is the dropping off procedure and this is probably going to be our most challenging time!! No adults will be permitted to enter the building and so we are going to have to ask you to send your child to the member of staff on duty on the door. This is going to be quite traumatic for some children and I’m sure some parents too – and I can assure you that the staff will find this quite challenging too! This procedure is essential for the health and safety of all our children and staff so we are going to have to persevere but we all have to be prepared for a challenging drop off time – at least until we all get used to it!

We will also be moving a lot of our learning environment outside and so would ask you to ensure that your child is prepared and dressed appropriately for this. Suncream and sunhats every day please – plus clothes that may get messy will be a good idea.

Full details on all these issues are set out in this email but if you have any concerns or queries then please do not hesitate to contact us. We are all in this together!!! Please read the following for full details:-

From the week beginning 1 June, early years and childcare providers will welcome back all children, if the five key tests set by government justify the changes at the time. As you know, we have delayed this until 15th June to take account of the concerns expressed by parents and staff. For the vast majority of children and young people, coronavirus is a mild illness. Some categories of children with specific serious health conditions should not attend their early years setting. If you are unsure whether your child should attend the setting due to a health condition that they or someone they live with has, please contact us so we can discuss the details with you.

Protective measures we are taking in light of coronavirus (COVID-19)

First and foremost, it goes without saying that the safety of children and of our staff is our top priority. We are working hard, following the latest government guidance, to develop and implement a number of new ways of operating. This will allow us to open as safely as possible, focusing on measures that will help limit the risk of coronavirus transmitting within our setting.

Some of the steps we are taking in readiness for reopening include:

Asking that anyone who is displaying coronavirus symptoms, or who lives with someone who does, not to attend the setting. That includes children and staff who work here.

Keeping our children in small groups with as much consistent staffing as possible, and minimising contact with other groups around the setting.

Cleaning our hands more often than usual. We have developed routines to ensure children understand when and how to wash their hands, making sure they wash them thoroughly for at least 20 seconds using running water and soap and dry them thoroughly, or use alcohol hand rub or sanitiser ensuring that all parts of the hands are covered.We also have our special song ‘this is the way we wash our hands’ which I am sure your child will be happy to share with you and you may wish to use it with your family.

Ensuring our children understand good respiratory hygiene by promoting the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ approach and ensuring a good supply of tissues and bins throughout the setting.

Implementing an enhanced cleaning schedule, ensuring surfaces touched by children and staff are cleaned regularly and throughout the morning, including table tops, door handles and play equipment. Lunch club has been cancelled for the time being to allow staff to thoroughly clean the setting ready for the next day’s children.

Asking parents and carers to physically distance from each other and from staff when dropping off and collecting their children and to limit drop off and collection to one parent or carer per household. We have introduced a separate entrance and exit procedure which will be operation when you drop off and pick up your child. We are asking you not to enter the gate to the front garden until the member of staff at the front door instructs you to, but to line up at the markers along the wall by the front of the hall in Queen Mary Avenue.A member of staff by the door will call each parent with their child into the front garden one at a time and will ask you to stand by the red line and send your child to the staff member.No adults will be permitted to enter the building. You will then exit the garden along the side path to the exit gate which will lead you out onto Mayfield Road – this will be clearly marked. The same procedure will be followed at pick-up time, with parents entering the entrance gate one at a time when called by the staff member on the door and standing on the red line to receive their child - and then exiting along the side path to the exit gate.

Asking children not to bring toys or other items from home to the setting, unless this is essential to their health and wellbeing.

What can parents and carers do to help?

There are a number of things parents and carers can do to help us make these arrangements effective, in addition to the points listed above concerning arrival and departure and not bringing toys to the setting.

Do not send your child into the pre-school if they have a temperature or if they, or any other family or members of the household, have any symptoms of coronavirus…. A new, continuous cough, a high temperature, or loss or change in the sense of taste/smell.

We ask you to confirm your contact number and the contact numbers of emergency contacts by return email and agree that you understand that you will need to immediately collect your child if they develop symptoms while at the setting.

Talk to your child in the days leading up to their return, mentioning that things may seem a little different, and about the new routine for dropping off as some children may find the fact that you cannot enter the building with them a bit challenging at first.Talking about it before they return will help ease the process.

Testing

Once early years and childcare providers open to more children, all children who are attending a childcare setting will have access to a test if they display symptoms of coronavirus, and are encouraged to get tested in this scenario. The aim is to enable children to get back to childcare, and their parents or carers not to need to self-isolate any longer than is necessary, if the test proves to be negative. A positive test will ensure rapid action to protect other children and staff in their setting.

We ask all parents and carers to ensure they organise a test for their child, in the event that they develop coronavirus symptoms, and notify us immediately of a positive test. Further guidance is available about getting tested.

Conclusion

I hope that this letter has given you the information you need to understand what arrangements we have made to enable children to return to us from 15th June. We are looking forward to welcoming your child back and I hope that you are assured that we have taken all possible steps to ensure safety for all in our setting. If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know.

We are pleased to let you know that we have an exciting project in the pipeline!! We are in the process of redesigning our side garden and aim to create a lovely new area for the children with the focus on natural resources, avoiding plastic as much as possible! We are aiming to be as eco friendly as we can, recycling materials where possible, and, with this in view, wonder if anyone can help with one of our projects by donating some old pots or pans with holes in the handles so we can thread them with string. The purpose of these will become clear as we go along - we will be keeping you up to date with our progress on facebook so don’t forget to ‘like’ our page if you haven’t already and check on what we are up to!!

Could we ask you to keep us informed of any changes of telephone contact numbers, including emergency contacts, allergy information etc, so we can make sure our records are up to date. Also, if you have forgotten your password please speak to a member of staff for a reminder. Anyone picking up your child on your behalf will not be able to unless they have the password. We would also remind you that children need to be collected promptly at the end of the session and there is a charge for late pick ups. Sessions are from 9-12 noon and lunch club finishes at 1pm.

Could we also ask you to clearly name all items brought into the setting, especially bags, as this is a great help to us.

For your information we break up for half term on Friday, 14th February and return on Monday, 24th February. The Easter break is from Monday, 6th April and we return on Monday, 20th April.

Just to let you know that the pre-school is once again supporting the Church with the collection of food for this year’s Harvest Festival. This food will be donated to the local food bank. Please look for a basket in the front hall if you would like to help. We will make a display of any donations with the children and talk about sharing, giving and the fact that the food is going to help people.

We would like to remind you about our WOW board. This is where we display any details about our current topics and themes and this is your opportunity to let us know if you have any suggestions for future topics so we can accommodate your child’s interests – or perhaps you would like us to focus on any festivals or celebrations which may be relevant to your child/family – just pop a note on the board or let a member of staff know and we can include it in our planning.

Please let us know in the morning if your child is going to be absent from Pre-school. In accordance with good safeguarding practice we are obligated to inform the Early Years Service about inexplicable absences.

A quick reminder about the procedure for when you collect your child at the end of the session. This is a very busy time and to ensure that all the children are safe and supervised we would ask you not to enter the hall but to wait with the member of staff at the door who will call your child to you. Your child is aware of this process and has been asked to wait until they are called by the staff member before moving from the carpet. We hope you understand the need for this as, obviously, your child’s safety is of the most paramount importance to all of us and we thank you for your support with this.

Could we remind you to mark your child’s name clearly on all items brought into the setting – including bags and lunch boxes – as this is a great help to us.

It hardly seems possible, but we are beginning to make arrangements for our leavers here at Priory View.

Frasier Photographers will be coming into the Pre-school on Wednesday,

26thJune at 11.00 am to take our leavers’ photograph which will be available to buy as a lovely keepsake of their time with us.

We have also started making plans for our leavers’ party and ceremony which will take place on the last day of term – Friday, 19thJuly, 2019. The party starts at 9.00am, and then at 11.30am we will be holding our leavers’ ceremony in the Church where you can come along and see your child being presented with their individual learning journey.

Please be aware that the party is for leavers onlyso, if your child normally attends on a Friday but is not leaving us, please speak to a member of staff and we will arrange an alternative session for them. If your school leaver does not normally attend on a Friday we can also swap a session for them – or you are welcome to pay the session fee of 16.50 for that day. Please note that there willbe no lunch club on that day. We will be putting a party food list in the outer hall nearer the time and would be grateful if you could chose an item for your child to bring in to share on the day.

The last day of term is on Friday, 19thJuly and we return on Monday, 2ndSeptember.

Christmas is just around the corner and we are starting to make plans here at Priory View! We are pleased to let you know that we will be holding our popular Nativity Service in the Church on Monday, 10th December, starting at 11.30 am. All are welcome and we would ask that each child has at least one parent/carer present. We have quite a few younger/new children who may find this challenging – but those of you who have been to one our Nativities in the past will know that they are very casual, informal occasions where the children can dress up as various roles and we can all sing along to some Christmas songs! If you do not want your child to take part in the Nativity then please talk to a member of staff. If your child does not normally attend on a Monday and you would like them to be included, please bring them along at around 11.20am on that morning, dressed in their outfit. A bit nearer the time we will send out a more detailed letter and put a sign in the Entrance Hall setting out roles etc.

Our Christmas Party will be on the last day of term – Friday, 14th December starting at 9.00 am and all the children are invited! If your child does not normally attend on a Friday you are welcome to swap a session or pay the session fee of £15 – please speak to a member of staff. We will put a food list in the Entrance Hall nearer the time.

Please note that there will be NO LUNCH CLUB on Monday, 10th December and Friday, 14th December – both sessions finish at 12 noon.

Frasier Photographers will be visiting on Tuesday, 27th November. If your child does not normally attend on a Tuesday and you don’t want to miss out on some fabulous photos in time for Christmas, or you would like siblings included etc, please come along at 9.15 am on that day.

The last day of term is Friday, 14th December and we return on Monday, 7th January, 2019. For your information, Spring half term is from 18-22nd February and we break up for Easter on Friday, 5th April, returning on Tuesday, 23rd April.

Just to let you know that the pre-school is once again supporting the Church with the collection of food for this year’s Harvest Festival. This food will be donated to the local food bank. Please look for the basket in the front hall if you would like to help us. We will make a display of any donations with the children, talking about sharing, giving and the fact that this food is going to help people.